Venison Machaca

This is a Mexican dish that I really enjoyed when I lived in Florida. The recipe is primarily authentic with only a couple of my own variations. If you like Mexican food, try this, you’ll like it.

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons ground coffee
3 1/2 tablespoons pasilla chili powder*
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
2 cups tomato juice
¾ cup water
2 dried bay leaves
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons kosher salt
4 1/2 pounds venison
1 1/2 large yellow onions, sliced
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup brewed coffee
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 dried pasilla chili peppers, stemmed, seeded, & torn into pieces
2 ¼ oz. chopped black olives (optional)
8 oz. Chopped portabella mushrooms (optional)

*Note: To make the pasilla chili powder, I removed the stems and seeds from 3 dried pasilla chili peppers and ground them up in a coffee/spice grinder. If you want some added heat, use another type of chili powder.


DIRECTIONS

Combine the ground coffee, 3 tablespoons of the salt, and chili powder. Pat ½ of the mixture onto one side of the brisket. Lay the brisket (coated side down) in a 9-by-13-inch pan and pat the remainder of the mixture onto the other side of the brisket. Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a sauté pan. Once it is hot and shimmering, add 1 piece of the brisket and sear it for 3-4 minutes per side. Repeat until all pieces of brisket are seared.

Add the remaining ingredients to a large Dutch oven and stir to combine. Add the pieces of meat into the mixture so that they are at least half submerged.

Cover and cook for 3 ½-4 hours. Remove from the oven.

Discard the bay leaves and as many of the onions as possible. With the lid off, place the Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Add the olives & mushrooms &, with a large spoon, break up the meat into small pieces. Continue to cook and break up the meat into smaller and smaller pieces. Keep cooking until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the meat. Remove from the heat and serve up in tacos, burritos, or by itself. I like Pocket thins. I layer the meat, diced tomatoes, & shredded lettuce & add a little chipotle Tabasco sauce with each layer.